Descent into the Maelstrom
by Gosangoku
Summary: Itachi knew of the events that his clan were going to carry out. He also knew he could stop them. Kidnapped at a young age, Naruto is trained by the Akatsuki along with the other Jinchuuriki. Years later, he returns to Konoha to prevent the next war.
1. Prologue: Jinchuuriki Capture

The clinking of clashing chains and echoing footsteps were the only sounds in the underground chambers of Akatsuki's hideout. No one even bothered to raise their heads to appraise the new arrival in fear of punishment and because of exhaustion. There weren't many prisoners in the cells – just eight. The ninth had just arrived, and was the one whose chains were clinking and footsteps were echoing.

No one spoke, nor did anyone dare even breathe too loudly, not wanting to upset their formidable 'masters.' They wouldn't anyway – they had been there long enough to know that it was a futile battle to fight against their superiors, even with their cursed powers.

A cell door was yanked open, and the new prisoner was locked in with chakra seals.

"Why am I here?" a soft voice asked nervously but with a hint of defiance. The other prisoner's closed their eyes. The new prisoner was only a child. He didn't sound more than four years old at most.

Silence reigned over the underground chamber for a moment before the sound of an activating jutsu was heard followed by a scream of pain from the child. There was a thump. Presumably it was the child falling over due to the affects from the jutsu, but still no one opened their eyes nor did they speak.

Footsteps sounded again, meaning that their captors were walking away for now. The prisoners slowly opened their eyes and let out a small breath they had all been holding in.

"You are all here," said a deep and intimidating voice, causing all of the occupants to tense up again. "To become our tools. Welcome. You have entered the beginning of a maelstrom that is inescapable."

The door shut with a loud booming sound.

_**Descent into the Maelstrom—Descent into the Maelstrom—Descent into the Maelstrom**_

**Gosangoku: Welcome my newest creation, featuring powerful!Naruto. It's gonna be a better, darker and more disturbing version of **_**Prelude To Love**_**. Prepare for violence, blood and tainted bonds that can't be tied nor broken. This is… the descent into a maelstrom.**

**Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.**


	2. Chapter One: Uzumaki Naruto

A row of people lined up in a straight line before one of their superiors. All were clad in tattered pieces of dark cloth, sodden with new blood and dry with old blood. They all faced forward in the same exact fashion and were lined up in order of height and all were silent as the grave and as still as a statue due to their intense training they had all had up to this point.

The sound of a creaky door filled the tense atmosphere and it slammed shut. A gust of wind blew past, adding to the tenseness of the scene. Soundlessly walking forward, more superiors stopped before the line of prisoners, silently scrutinising them all.

"Number nine, step forward," Madara ordered tonelessly.

The third smallest person in the line took one long stride forwards before halting instantly in the same position as before.

Madara walked over to him slowly before placing a hand on the small boy's shoulder, squeezing tightly. The young boy didn't flinch, however, but instead remained still and emotionless.

"Congratulations, number nine," the Uchiha said, smirking. "You have your first mission. It's a long-term one, as well." Madara gestured to Itachi, who stepped beside him. "Number nine, you will be on this mission with Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. They will debrief you now, so remain here." He walked away from the blond boy and began walking back to the door. "Kakuzu, Hidan," he said before entering the hideout. "Take the Jinchuuriki back to their cells."

"Aw, damn it!" Hidan cursed, thoroughly annoyed. "Why do we always get stuck with it? Fuck this shit…" he grumbled like a moody teenager, but grabbed the tallest Jinchuuriki and pushed him. "Get goin', idiot," he demanded, and the man began to walk with the other Jinchuuriki in tow. The second smallest glanced back at Naruto, his pale teal eyes boring into the blond boy's sapphire ones before he turned and followed on soundlessly.

Kakuzu remained silent, used to his partner's rants and swearing. He followed the Jinchuuriki in soundlessly, extracting some money from seemingly nowhere and began to count it fondly.

"Everyone else, save for Itachi, Kisame and number nine, come inside. I wish to speak with you all," Madara said, appearing by the doorway again.

"Did he ever even actually go anywhere in there?" Deidara murmured, raising a brow. Sasori ignored him and walked inside. The blond Akatsuki member shrugged before following his partner, and Zetsu trailed behind with a blank look on both sides of his face.

Silence reigned outside once more, the only sound being the wind and the only movement being the trees swaying in the breeze.

"Number nine."

The addressed boy looked up with blank and glassy sapphire eyes to meet one of his masters' gazes, unwavering and fearless of the man's Kekkei Genkai.

Itachi stared back into the Jinchuuriki's eyes without remorse or anguish for what he had caused the young boy. "You are aware of your orders?" he muttered and earned a small nod from the boy. "Speak."

"Yes, taichou," came the surprisingly firm voice. After years of hardly using his voice – save for when learning jutsu – you would think his voice would be hoarse and strained, but it was soft and elegant somehow. It was probably due to his Bijuu.

Itachi nodded in response. "I will debrief you anyway." He pulled out a large dark green backpack and handed it to the blond, who took it slowly but without reluctance, just caution. "We are infiltrating Konohagakure no Sato. You will be posing as a Genin on a team with two other Genin and a Jounin instructor. The highest ranked missions you can receive are C-ranks, and even those are rare for Genin. Your skills are not allowed to become blunt. As such, you will train every day before and after training with no exceptions." The obsidian eyes bore into the silvery blue. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, taichou," the blond said softly again.

"As well as that…" Itachi murmured, his features becoming more serious than before. "Keep an eye on the Uchiha's."

Not even a spark of curiosity entered the boy's eyes, and he merely replied with another, "Yes, taichou."

Kisame raised a brow. "It's weird, isn't it?" he asked, not expecting an answer but speaking anyway. "We get the Jinchuuriki and they're only up for one fight before they break and follow every order we give 'em," he murmured musingly.

Number nine raised his head and offered a miniscule smirk that you would only notice if you had known him all his life. "If I remember correctly, I fought back for the first five years and even now I defy you, Hoshigaki-_taichou_," he muttered challengingly.

The shark-man grinned back and ruffled the blond boy's hair. "And that's why I love to hate you, kid," he said. "So, when're we headin' out, Itachi-san?" he asked, addressing his partner once more. Everyone was used to number nine's disobedient behaviour, and most had learnt to tolerate it. Only Konan, Pein and Madara punished him for it now.

"We are leaving now," the Uchiha answered tonelessly.

Kisame raised a brow inquisitively. "Already? Don't you need to pack supplies and stuff?" he asked in a bored tone, not really caring.

"You should know that most things don't need to be packed. We already have spare clothes, and we're going to hide our chakra upon entering Konohagakure and we will disguise ourselves. We have ryou to buy necessities there. Number nine has his supplies in that backpack," Itachi replied as he began walking.

"You got that ryou from Kakuzu-taichou, didn't you, Itachi-taichou?" number nine asked with another barely visible smirk.

Kisame whacked him over the head. "Show some respect, bozu," he said, hiding his fondness. The blond boy just rolled his eyes.

"Number nine," Itachi muttered.

The addressed boy's eyes immediately became icier again and he looked up. "Yes, taichou?" he murmured.

"As we are no longer in Akatsuki and are on a long-term mission, we will use your given name." Itachi didn't look at the blond when he said this, but stared on ahead with a blank expression. He hated those icy blue eyes… because he was the one who made them so frosty.

"My… given name…?" the blond repeated impassively. "I understand," he finally said, obviously getting over what was wrong.

Kisame stared down at the blond Jinchuuriki. "Which last name are you gonna use, gaki?" he asked enquiringly.

The blonde stared up at him with an eyebrow raised. "That's a rather stupid question, Kisame-taichou," he muttered.

Twitching, the shark-man asked irritably, "H—how so?" He sounded defensive.

"I will use my mother's last name," said the blond. "If I use _that_ name, it will cause mayhem." He smirked. "Not that I dislike 'mayhem,' but we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good."

Kisame raised a brow. "And so…?"

The blond boy's features once more regained their stoic setting but his usually icy blue eyes seemed to burn.

"I will be known… as Uzumaki Naruto."

**Descent into the Maelstrom—Descent into the Maelstrom—Descent into the Maelstrom**

**Gosangoku: **_**Naruto**_** belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.**

_**POLL**_

**I'd like longer chapters with slower updates.**

**I'd like shorter chapters with quicker updates.**

**Please vote or I'll just continue doing these really short chapters. xD If that's what you want, then awesome. If not, tell me in a review. =w=**

**Let's clarify. The second shortest boy who looked back at Naruto was Gaara. He's slightly shorter than Naruto, and then there's a very short Jinchuuriki whose name I don't know. He's the three-tails. He's a picture of all of the Jinchuuriki — ****.com/art/The-9-Jinchuuriki-Vector-104236307****. Bear in mind that they're younger here, and I'm just gonna assume that even the girls are a bit taller than Naruto seeing as before Shippuuden, most people—including girls—**_**were**_** taller than Naruto. So deal with it. :P**


	3. Chapter Two: Mission Start

_I'm getting far too old for this_, Sarutobi thought wearily as he pushed himself up from his desk. He yawned loudly, streching and grimacing at the sound of his bones cracking. _Far, far too old_. He glanced at the wall to his right, giving a rueful sigh. _If only _you_ were still alive, Minato..._

He shook his head, dimissing his aguished thoughts and he collected any unfinished scrolls he was signing or writing on, and made his way to depart from his office. He locked the door and then began his slow stride back home, not wanting to rush. _I don't like rushing_, he thought. _When you rush, you miss out on things. The things you miss don't seem like much, but..._

The old Hokage blinked in surprise when he saw a small child trip and fall in front of him. He knelt down, smiling kindly at the little girl who had tripped. "Are you all right, little miss?" he asked gently, offering her his big, old hand. "I do hope you haven't harmed yourself."

The girl sniffled but held back her tears. "'M fine, mister," she said in a slightly gruff voice. "I fall a lot. I'm used t' it." She gave him a sincere grin to prove herself, and he chuckled. This exubarent young girl reminded him of someone. Of course he remembered who. How could you forget someone with a Bijuu sealed inside of them? Namikaze Naruto... How did he go missing, anyway? He'd been working on that case secretly for years; only a select few of his AnBu knew about it.

_Now is not the time to think of such things. You cannot focus on just one of your villagers._ "So," he said, fixing a lopsided grin on his face. "What were you doing, miss? You seemed to be in quite the hurry."

"Ah! That's right!" the brunette girl exclaimed, her bright eyes widening. "I was lookin' for someone, so, mister, I gotta go. Thanks for helpin' me! See you 'round!" She grinned brightly and waved hastily before jumping up and dashing off in a random direction.

Smiling serenely, Sarutobi stood and dusted himself off before beginning his trek back home again. _It does my heart good to see them smiling. It's worth all the pain and suffering in the long run._

He stilled when a few kunai very suddenly flew past him, before he whirled around and launched a few hidden shuriken out of his sleeves. The mystery attacker made no sound for a moment, but Sarutobi knew someone was still out there. What disturbed him was that he could not feel the person's chakra signiture, nor hear their breathing. The only reason he knew they were still alive was because no sound had been made when the shuriken were launched back.

"Who's there?" he eventually demanded after a few moments of tense silence - at least, on his part. "Show yourself, or I will be forced to resort to extreme methods." His voice was strong, firm and authoritive; nothing like his worn appearance suggested. His eyes held a fire that was still burning in spite of his years, but the enemy was not deterred by the man's imperious aura.

Several more kunai were launched, and Sarutobi attempted to evade them. One scraped his arm, but just barely. He paid it no mind, as he was focused on dodging the mass load of weapons that were just thrown. He leapt backwards, flying back until he could no further due to a dead end, and then pressed down against the floor and leapt up high.

"Very well then!" he shouted angrily. "Shihouhappou Shuriken!" A huge load of shuriken, of a larger quantity than what the enemy had thrown moments prior, rained down rapidly upon the area, most of which crashing to the ground with a loud '_clang!_'. Yet still, the enemy did not emerge nor show signs of where they were hiding. "Have it your way," said Sarutobi solemnly. "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

A huge fireball began to form before him, and he launched it before realising the extent of the damage it would do. Before it could destroy the houses or before he could do anything to prevent it, a humungous streak of water burst through the ball of fire and the fire split, and then a big gust of wind blew past and, in one great flourish, the fire was swept away into the sky.

Sarutobi's eyes were wide. "Th-those techniques... they're AnBu rank..." he whispered, mystified. A sudden deep pain ran through the Hokage's arm and his pupils minimised slightly. He grabbed his arm, gasping. _Wh-what was that?_

Tonnes of shuriken and kunai were tossed at him and he was roughly pinned to a wall. Eyes wide, Sarutobi glanced around quickly. He was never caught off-guard like this. What was this person who was doing this? It was unheard of for even a nuke-nin of AnBu level to be able to destroy a Kage so easily!

"Who... Who are you?" he demanded, glaring intently into the scenery before him. It looked so peaceful, so tranquil - was it an illusion, or was this person just extremely talented? He was dubious that it was one person; this was simply just to elaborate and... amazing, if he had to admit.

There was another strong gust of wind that pushed him further against a wall. A knife to his throat, the silver-edged blade freezing and sharp against his neck. It was pressed tightly enough to draw blood, but not to kill.

"I am Number Nine."

Blood splayed out, but vanished before it hit the ground, along with the corpse and the culprit.

**O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O**

As soon as the sun rose, silver-blue eyes snapped open at once. The owner of said blue eyes sat up and turned to his new attire, staring at it emotionlessly. He stuck his tongue out at it childishly, but his face remained stony. "I cannot believe I have to wear orange during this mission. How agitating," the blond boy grumbled quietly, almost inaudible.

"Yo."

"Kisame," said the blond in a bored tone. "What do you want?"

"Jus' came to wish you luck, gaki." The shark-man smirked and placed a cold hand on the boy's head. "Don't fuck this up, got it?"

Naruto brushed the hand off and finished dressing quickly, zipping up his bright orange coat. "You know I won't." His glittery gaze moved up to meet Kisame's. "Or do you not trust me?" He remained as impassive, but his tone was slightly threatening.

The older man barked a laugh and grinned down at the kid. "So scary, blondie."

"You _should_ be scared of me," muttered the blond, neatly but rapidly placing his weapons within his pouch and hiding within his clothes. "I am ready for departure from camp," he said and saluted his 'superior'.

"All right, cadet," replied Kisame, grinning mischievously. "You got a replacement for the Hokage so no suspicions will arise?"

The blond smirked slightly. "Mmhm."

Kisame quirked a brow but shrugged. "'Kay," he said. "Then, see you whenever. If you die, nice knowin' ya."

"I wish I could say the same."

Before Kisame could respond, only an icy breeze was left behind as Number Nine had disappeared.

**O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O**

"Iruka-sensei," a worn but cheerful voice greeted.

The addressed man glanced at him, pausing his lecture. "A-ah!" he exclaimed. "Hokage-sama!" He bowed low. "It's an honour to have you here."

"I am sorry to interrupt," Sarutobi said, ignoring Iruka's welcome. "But I have a new student for you."

The brunette man stiffened and his shocked eyes whipped up to meet the Hokage's and, just for a moment, the Chuunin's eyes went blank and he merely replied, "Yes..."

"I am content with your compliance, Iruka-sensei." Sarutobi stepped out of the way and a blond boy emerged from behind him. "This is Uzumaki Naruto," said the Hokage, motioning to the orange-clad boy with a small nod.

The blond boy appraised them quickly with cold, calculating eyes before bowing curtly and smirking at them. _I've had lessons with this 'charming' thing... I know what to do to remain safe and out of suspicions..._

"Very well," said the Hokage, turning to leave. "Iruka-sensei, I shall leave Naruto in your capable hands." And then he disappeared, and Iruka seemed to snap out of his trance-like state. The blond blinked and shook his head, wincing slightly.

"Uh..." he murmured, blinking at the blond boy. "N-Naruto, right?" He smiled genially. "I'm Iruka-sensei."

"I gathered," replied Naruto curtly.

Iruka frowned before smiling again, brushing off the boy's behaviour for now. "It's good to have you in our class. I'm sure everyone will make you feel welcome."

"That is unnecessary."

"Um..." Iruka blinked, frowning uncomfortably. "Well... you may take a seat," he said gently, and the blond nodded and zipped towards a random seat, next to a boy who had fallen asleep on the desk, where there were less people located. The most densely populated area was near the front on the other side of the classroom, where there were many girls crowding around one specific desk.

The blue-eyed boy shook his head. _Such odd behaviour... Or do normal humans always act that way? _He spared a glance to the boy beside him. _This one is not acting like the others... I do not understand... Should I also go over there? Would that be normal behaviour?_

Eventually, he decided against it. He was never that social anyway. _But that is because I was confined... No. No, it was for the best. I am a tool utilised for fighting; nothing more, nothing less. I shall merely proceed with my plans. No distractions. However, maybe I could create a scroll of normal human's behaviour..._

_It is odd, but 'normal' human's behaviour does remind me of animals during mating season._

**O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O**

_**NARUTO**_ **belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, not I. I shall not make a profit with this, and it is purely fan-made.**

**I am highly uncertain of how I should go about the teams and the Zabuza arc, as it will seem too similar to my fic **_**Prelude To Love**_**. Any thoughts? Please review and tell me. I do have a few ideas, but yours are appreciated.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope it's sifficient. I wrote it on WordPad due to certain circumstances that I cannot be bothered to explain.**

**Naruto's behaviour will be explained a lot more and in detail and in flashbacks later on, and his behaviour most likely will remain similar throughout the entire story. He is supposed to be acting similarly to an animal or a small child, and this shall be explained later.**

**Before you ask, there have been no pairings decided yet! May or may not be shounen-ai. I do not know. I will not focus on pairings until much, much later on in the story. If you want a certain one, suggest it now. I must say, however, that I've never written NaruHina, so if you vote for that, please bear that in mind and do take it easy on me.**

**Thank you for reading. R&R please.**


	4. Chapter Three: Animal's Ability

"In about one month you shall all partake in a Genin exam, and those who pass shall be placed into teams," explained Umino Iruka, pacing before his students, who watched him with wide, curious and excited but anxious eyes. As if sensing the children's intense emotions, the Chuunin smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry. I've taught you all long enough to know your strengths and weaknesses, and presently I believe that overall you are all suited to become Genin." He grinned at his class, who beamed back at him, with a couple of exceptions.

Pausing in his lecture, the brunet man's eyes skimmed the crowd of students until halting at a lone blond, who was at the far back of the class, leaning leisurely against a tree with his hands in his pockets but his icy blue eyes sharp and concise, almost penetrating. Iruka shivered and swallowed. The child's eyes were so deep and yet revealed nothing but indepedant impassiveness. It just seemed so _wrong_ somehow, but the Chuunin was always as kind as possible to everyone, and that included this somehow intimidating young preteen boy.

"Naruto," he barked, and the blond boy's gaze remained steadfast, unflinchingly meeting his teacher's eyes. Iruka just smiled at the kid. "Since I've not known you long, I suppose your skills should be put to the test. Why not pick out a training partner?" he enquired in a friendly tone, placing his hands on his hips and grinning welcomingly. _This is also a good way to make friends_, he thought jovially. He used to be an outcast, and it was not fun. He didn't want to bestow that lonely fate unto someone else. No one deserved such loneliness.

Bringing his attention back to the present, Iruka saw Naruto's icy eyes focused on the ebony ones belonging to one proclaimed protégé, Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha stared back at the boy, his stare unwavering and almost bored, and yet slight interest was sparkling within those charcoal orbs.

Iruka stiffened slightly, frowning. _Sasuke's the top in the class_, he thought worriedly. _I'm not certain of Naruto's level. It's possible he isn't good enough yet to fight Sasuke, and I don't want him to get hurt..._ "Why not try and fight someone else first, Naruto?" he suggested, laughing sheepishly.

Icy blue eyes snapped up to his and the boy glared, chilling Iruka to the bone. An icy wind flashed passed, making the kids shiver slightly.

"That was weird," Ino murmured, flipping her pale blonde hair from her face and raising a brow.

"Were you scared, Ino?" a pink-haired girl teased, smirking at the slightly taller girl.

"Shut up, Forehead!" the blonde girl shrieked loudly, clenching a fist.

"Who're you calling Forehead, Pig?" Sakura screamed in response, jade eyes twitching sporadically.

"Girls, calm down!" Iruka commanded authoritatively, scowling at them in disapproval. Both cowered slightly and smiled apologetically at him, but did offer one another one final sharp elbow to the ribs before childishly sticking their tongues out and turning away. Sighing, Iruka shook his head and scanned the class. "Naruto," he began, smiling again. "Why not fight Kiba first of all?" When the blond did not respond, he ordered, "Kiba, stand!"

A scruffy-looking brunet boy leapt up, grinning wildly. A small dog, which had previously been sleeping in the hood of his parka, barked excitedly. The rough boy jogged into the middle of the training area, awaiting his opponent's arrival, smirking ferally all the while. When Naruto still did not make a move, Kiba sniggered. "Scared, New Guy? I don't blame ya," he drawled, glancing at his nails as if uninterested, but surprisingly, the next second, he had suddenly been knocked to the ground with an arm held behind his back. "Gah! Wh-what the...?" He tried to glance up, and his eyes widened in astonishment upon seeing the blond kid poised on top of him, grasping his arm tightly and eyes glistening.

"I win."

And in another split second, Naruto was off of Kiba and before Iruka, surprising even the Chuunin.

"Who am I to fight now?" he asked monotonously and, in his boredom, flicked out a kunai and began twirling it senselessly. "Shall it be the Uchiha?" _It would be interesting to see how supposedly 'talented' Itachi-sama's younger brother is..._

"How do you know my name?" demanded the aforementioned boy, standing instantly and puffing his chest out, clenching his fists tightly and narrowing his eyes.

"I heard it when Iruka-sensei took the register," Naruto answered uncaringly, sparing Sasuke a minor sideways glance. "I am not deaf."

Sasuke bristled, obviously very defensive even though the blond had not intentionally insulted him. "Don't you understand who I am?" he shouted challengingly, just moe agitated when Naruto stared back at him stoically.

"Yeah!" shouted Ino, standing now as well. Pointing accusingly at Naruto, she glared in revulsion and yelled, "This is _Uchiha _Sasuke! _The_ strongest, most intelligent, handsome, and _amazing_ guy at the academy!" She flipped her hair and placed her hands on her hips, her upper lip curling in disgust at the sight of the short, lanky blond boy before her. "You've got _no_ chance in beating someone as great as _Sasuke_, so don't even bother!"

"Yeah!" chorused most of the other girls in the class, whereas the boys just rolled their eyes and uttered profanities directed at the Uchiha. However, they did nothing to stop the girls; they didn't care whether or not that little guy got beaten up. He was just another outcast; he didn't matter.

Blinking slowly, Naruto uttered, "If he is so prestigious, he would not mind fighting me." The blond cocked his head, reminding the students of ome kind of a wild feline or a similar wild animal.

Instead of an earnest act of confusion or curiosity, Sasuke took it as one of provocation. Growling, he marched over to the new boy and stood before him. "Fine," he spat venemously. "I'll fight you."

The girls in the class swooned and sighed dreamily, whispering sweet things about Sasuke, and occassionally bad-mouthing his new opponent. Ignoring the irritating distractions, the two boys faced each other, one glaring, looking utterly livid, and one blank and impassive. They stood still for a long while, just staring at each other.

Growing weary of the staring contest, Sasuke flew forwards gracefully and whipped out a few shuriken, launching them towards Naruto. He smirked triumphantly. _Right on target_, he thought victoriously, before his eyes widened when the boy just evaporated in a cloud of smoke. The Uchiha coughed and winced as the smoke swept towards him, and turned around, trying hard to locate his opponent. "Coward, come out!" he demanded, but taunts didn't seem to phase the blond.

Tonnes of kunai and shuriken flew down at him, and his eyes widened again. _How does he hav so many?_ He thought, horrified, before recovering his composure and leaping backwards, attempting to avoid the onslaught of weaponry aimed at him.

"Stop!" Iruka shouted, slightly panicked upon noticing the smoke clearing and weapons flying everywhere. _What if Sasuke hurts the new kid?_

The weapons all stilled before they reached Sasuke, all barely inches from his person. They drew back, flying into secret compartments of Naruto's clothes. Sasuke stared at the blond in furious horror. _He... he beat me!_

"Are you guys all right?" asked the teacher, his motherly brown eyes obviously worried. He was surprised Naruto won, but can you blame him? Uchiha were commonly commended for their insanely amazing abilities, and Sasuke, being the last Uchiha left, was blatantly left as the only heir of one of the most well-renowned clans, and thus vital to Konoha.

Glaring at Naruto, Sasuke got up from his knees. He and the blond stared down one another for a while before the Uchiha growled as if he had lost a battle. "I hate you," he hissed, eyes glinting darkly, before spinning on his heel and walking back to the class.

"Ah..." Iruka sighed, troubled. _This was supposed to help Naruto make friends! Not the other way around!_ He glanced at the class worriedly.

"Sasuke-kun! You were great! That kid just cheated," one girl said, beaming at the dark-haired boy.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun! We know _you_'d never cheat. You're _amazing_," cooed another, giggling.

All the girls then shot Naruto repulsed, angered scowls. "You, on the other hand... we don't like!"

"Ah!" Iruka exclaimed worriedly, turning to the blond nervously, but was surprised to find the blond impassive and not even paying attention to the class. He was staring off to the side. Following his gaze, Iruka noticed a little kitten. It looked a bit roughed up and didn't look very approachable, but Naruto was already casually strolling towards it. He knelt before the kitten and held out a hand, which the kitten instantly bit. Naruto just stared at it blankly before murmuring in a gentle voice, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The cat stared at him a moment longer, body and fur raised due to high apprehension and mistrust, before it slowly unhinged its jaw and licked Naruto's bitten finger apologetically. The blond softly stroked the Bombay's head. The cat seemed to be glaring at him. Again, it bit him before dashing away. The blond looked after it emotionlessly, but he did like that cat. He wished it hadn't rejected him.

"Even _animals_ don't like you!" shouted someone in the class, followed by another chorused series of agreement.

"Now, now, kids," Iruka said disapprovingly, frowning at them. "That isn't how you treat a fellow comrade--"

"He isn't _my_ comrade," Ino said huffily, folding her arms.

"Mine either!" Sakura agreed, turning away from the blond completely. _Although..._ She cast the lone blond a pitying glance. _No. He's just some boy. Who cares if he's alone?_

She didn't realise the irony of that statement, even as her attention diverted back to Sasuke.

"Well, Naruto," Iruka began, smiling sheepishly but kindly. "You seem to have a lot of potential. You'll definitely become a Genin!" he cheered enthusiastically.

The blond stared back at him before nodding as if accepting a business deal. "Thank you," he said politely, tone icy.

The brunet teacher grinned at him before turning to the class. "All right, everyone, it's lunch time!" he bellowed, as there was no other way to get the children's attention.

The kids cheered jubilantly and went inside to grab their lunches, all planning on sitting with Sasuke.

The blond, however, made no move to go and retrieve lunch or sit with anyone. Instead, he moved into a desolate area of the grounds and began training. _"You have to train at least three times, Number Nine, or else your skills shall get sloppy, and I don't want that,"_ he recalled Itachi-sama saying to him. As such, he thought it best to train whenever he could, which included now.

"Who does that kid think he is?" demanded a certain Inuzuka, brushing his nose with his finger and squinting at Naruto in distaste. "He's such a show-off!"

"He did defeat you, Kiba," his friend Shino reminded him in a monotone, not really bothered about anything.

Flushing slightly, Kiba barked a laugh. "Like everyone said, he cheated!" Ignoring Chouji's interjection of how the girl's only said that about Sasuke's defeat, Kiba declared, with a fist in the air, "I think we should teach him a lesson!"

His friends stared blankly at him before Shikamaru uttered, "Having seen him fight, we've established that he took down you before you even knew he had left his post"-here he ignored Kiba's indignant sreech-"and defeated the top of the class in less than thirty seconds. I think he may be slightly out of our league."

"Not if we tie him down or someone restrains him or something! Or when he gets tired, or..."

"Isn't that cheating?" Chouji said, pausing in devouring his crisps. "Which is what you accused _him_ of," he reminded.

"But..." Kiba looked frustrated before smirking. "We should give back what we got! He cheated, we cheat back. Fair, right?" He foled his arms and glanced at his friends.

"I... guess that's fair," murmured Chouji, furrowing his brow. "I mean, he did cheat... right?"

"I was dubious about his ability to defeat an Uchiha so easily," Shikamaru added, frowning his permenant frown.

Shino said nothing, and thought for a moment. The blond was silent, he had done nothing wrong, and yet he was also questioning the kid's abilities. He nodded silently, and Kiba cheered.

"Awesome! Shikamaru, 's up to you to make a plan, 'kay?" He punched his friend's shoulder playfully.

The Nara rubbed his arm and scowled. "Yeah, yeah, as always..." he agreed. "So troublesome..."

Unbeknownst to them, Naruto had heard everything. Unperturbed, he thought, _I expected nothing more from the traitorous village, Konoha no Sato... But I shall continue following Itachi-sama's orders. I shall do my best to complete my mission... I shall keep the villages from waging war against one another_.

**O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O**

A chilly breeze entered the Hokage's office, and Itachi did not look up from the scrolls and documents he was analysing. "Number Nine, 'Uzumaki Naruto'," he drawled. "I trust your first day went well?"

"It was sufficient," replied the blond, bowing on one knee. "The academy sensei had me fight to test my abilities."

"You did not reveal the extent of your abilities... did you?" Itachi's eyes flickered, slightly threatening. Naruto was used to this and was unaffected.

"I did not," Naruto mumbled. "I lessened them to less than a quarter of my actual power." _I still beat them very easily though... but that is because I am an animal without inhibitions, not human like they are._

"Good," the Uchiha said tonelessly. "You are dismissed."

"Itachi-sama," Naruto began. The man did not look up but he continued anyway. "Where should I sleep?"

"As usual," replied Itachi, still analysing scrolls. "Somewhere in the wild. You'll be accepted by things... more your own kind."

_By animals_, thought the blond. _But that kitten earlier did not accept me._ Naruto merely nodded in disappeared with another cold gust of air, appearing at a forest edge. He looked around and tensed when lightning flashed and thunder boomed loudly overhead. Accompanying that was a fierce, heavy rain storm, the large droplets pelting down. More lightning illuminated the area and thunder crashed again, and the blond, already soaked, dashed under a tree. It didn't provide much shelter, but the only habitats around weren't big enough to fit a human inside them. Shivering, Naruto curled up and clenched his eyes shut. He never did like storms, especially the thunder. He also disliked getting wet. He bristled just thinking about being wet.

_Oyasuminasai... myself._

**O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O**

_**NARUTO**_** belongs to Kishimoto Masashi, not I. I shall not make a profit with this, and it is purely fan-made.**

**I have decided that the Zabuza arc shall be played exceedingly differently. Don't worry, I think it'll be interesting. It's not going to be similar to the canon one at all. I have not yet decided on the pairings, however, and won't for a long while.**

**Stay tuned, and please review! Constructive critisism is mre helpful than you would think.**


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